An image processing apparatus for converting input image data into output image data for an image forming apparatus configured to output an image with the use of coloring material, which includes a unit configured to perform a coloring-material usage amount reduction process of converting the input image data into the output image data such that an amount of the coloring material used for color-printing the input image data becomes a target coloring-material usage amount defined based on a monochrome-printing coloring-material usage amount required for monochrome-printing the input image data.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An image processing apparatus for converting input image data into output image data for an image forming apparatus configured to output an image with the use of coloring material, the image processing apparatus comprising: a processor configured to perform a coloring-material usage amount reduction process of converting the input image data into the output image data such that an amount of the coloring material used for color-printing the input image data becomes a target coloring-material usage amount defined based on a monochrome-printing coloring-material usage amount required for monochrome-printing the input image data.
2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to perform the coloring-material usage amount reduction process as part of a conversion process of converting RGB values into CMY values.
3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein: the processor is further configured to perform the conversion process by using a table including color conversion values associated with the RGB values of the input image data, and the color conversion value to be used for the conversion process is selected from among the color conversion values in the table, the selected color conversion value corresponding to one color among plural colors having a higher degree of brightness than that of input data indicating the input image data and having the same hue as that of the input data indicating the input image data, the amount of the coloring material used for color-printing said one color being less than or equal to the monochrome-printing coloring-material usage amount corresponding to the input data and also being a maximum amount among the amounts of the coloring materials used for color-printing the plural colors.
4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to perform the color-material usage amount reduction process so that the target coloring-material usage amount used in the coloring-material usage amount reduction process is different for each color data item.
5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured not to perform the coloring-material usage amount reduction process when the input image data corresponds to at least one of characters and lines.
6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to perform the color-material usage amount reduction process so that the target coloring-material usage amount is defined based on an object type.
7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to perform the color-material usage amount reduction process so that the target coloring-material usage amount used in the coloring-material usage amount reduction process is different for each color data item, wherein: the target coloring-material usage amount for a predetermined color data item is defined based on the monochrome-printing coloring-material usage amount required for monochrome-printing the input image data; and the target coloring-material usage amount for each color data item other than the predetermined color data item is defined so as to range between the monochrome-printing coloring-material usage amount required for monochrome-printing the input image data and a color-printing coloring-material usage amount required for color-printing the input image data.
8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the processor is further configured to perform the color-material usage amount reduction processing for plural copy modes used for copying an original image under different recording conditions, and the target coloring-material usage amount used in the coloring-material usage amount reduction process is defined based on each of the plural copy modes.
9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the processor is further configured to perform the color-material usage amount reduction processing for a double-sided recording mode and a single-sided recording mode, and the target coloring-material usage amount used in the coloring-material usage amount reduction process is defined based on each of the double-sided recording mode and the single-sided recording mode.
10. A printing system, comprising: the image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ; and the image forming apparatus configured to output the image with use of the coloring material in accordance with the output image data received from the image processing apparatus.
11. An image processing method for converting input image data into output image data for an image forming apparatus configured to output an image with the use of coloring material, the image processing method comprising: performing a coloring-material usage amount reduction process of converting the input image data into the output image data such that an amount of the coloring material used for color-printing the input image data becomes a target coloring-material usage amount defined based on a monochrome-printing coloring-material usage amount required for monochrome-printing the input image data.
12. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein computer executable instructions for causing a computer to execute a process of converting input image data into output image data for an image forming apparatus configured to output an image with the use of coloring material, the process comprising: performing a coloring-material usage amount reduction process of converting the input image data into the output image data such that an amount of the coloring material used for color-printing the input image data becomes a target coloring-material usage amount defined based on a monochrome-printing coloring-material usage amount required for monochrome-printing the input image data.
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September 9, 2009
April 9, 2013
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